UMIT - Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology


The Tyrolean Private University UMIT TIROL sees itself as a health university and is located in Hall in Tirol. It was founded in 2001 in Innsbruck under the name Private University of Medical Computer Science and Technology Tirol. In connection with the expansion of the health sciences in 2004, the university was re-named UMIT – Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology. Today, it's a private university under the University Accreditation Act UniAkkG BGBl. The university is run by Tyrol and the University of Innsbruck.

History

The Tyrolean Private University UMIT TIROL was founded in 2001 as a subsidiary of Tirol Kliniken GmbH—formerly TILAK Tiroler Landeskrankenanstalten— and Tiroler Zukunftsstiftung. The first course offered were a bachelor's and a master's degree in Medical Informatics.
The Tyrolean Private University UMIT was accredited by the Austrian Accreditation Council on 16 November 2001 for a period of five years.
In the winter semester 2004/2005 the Tyrolean Private University UMIT TIROL moved from Innsbruck to Hall in Tyrol to a newly established campus.
In 2006 the accreditation by the Austrian Accreditation Council was extended until 2011 after an international assessment.
As a shareholder of the Tyrolean Private University UMIT TIROL, Tyrol is endeavouring to expand its excellent reputation in the field of health care through research and teaching at the highest level, on the one hand, and to strengthen the scientific location, on the other.
On 13 September 2010, the ÖAR cancelled the accreditation for the doctoral programme in Health Sciences due to lack of qualitative supervision due to the large number of students and due to serious shortcomings both in the implementation and in the scientific orientation of the programme. The poor quality of the dissertations was also deplored, for example in the subject of health sciences dissertations were written which had no relation to health and therefore should not have been accepted. The other bachelor's, master's and doctorate programmes were not affected by this decision.
Following an international review, the ÖAR was able to grant accreditation to seven new doctoral programmes at the Tyrolean Private University UMIT TIROL in 2011. The basis for the ÖAR's decision was the assessment by six independent, international, external experts who subjected the Tyrolean private university to an intensive analysis and evaluation over several months.
In the same year 2011, after further international evaluation, the Tyrolean Private University UMIT TIROL was re-accredited for the third time until 2016 and meanwhile until 2021.
In the academic year 2012/13, a new high was reached with 432 first-year students.
In 2014, a branch was established in Landeck.
In 2014, at the initiative of the state, the shareholder structure of UMIT TIROL was adapted in order to give the University of Innsbruck a ten percent stake in UMIT TIROL. This will bring the University of Innsbruck and UMIT TIROL closer together in the direction of a "Campus Tirol". This is intended to strengthen future cooperation between the Tyrolean universities.

Organisation

The university's vice-chancellor is also the managing director of UMIT TIROL GesmbH.
The Tyrolean Private University UMIT GesmbH also holds shares in other companies and competence centres.
The university's highest organs are the Scientific Advisory Board, the Vice-Chancellor's Office with the vice-chancellor and the deputy vice-chancellor and the Senate.

Department structure

The Tyrolean Private University UMIT TIROL is divided into four departments with several subordinate institutes
UMIT does not only offer its study programs at the campus in Hall, but also maintains study centers at various locations, for example since 2014 in Landeck and 2016 in Lienz.

Studies and study programmes

Bachelor studies
Master's and diploma degree programms
University courses
Doctoral programmes
The tuition fees at UMIT range from €490 per semester for the Bachelor's programme in Mechatronics to €3,600 per semester for the doctoral programme.
After the amendment of the Austrian Student Union Act in February 2005, students at private universities were no longer members of the ÖH, UMIT TIROL was one of the first private universities in Austria to establish its own student representation. An amendment to the HSG 2014 established an ÖH representation at each private university, as at the public universities. ÖH UMIT has been responsible for UMIT TIROL students since 1 October 2014.

Notable people